A-Z Series (featuring The Sonic Universe)
by ReporterDigs
Summary: A collection of short stories surrounding the Sonic Universe themes, locations, and characters. Each chapter has a new short story with a title and theme relating to a letter in the alphabet. Genres will be various, as well as characters used in each story. Read them all, or only read some. Pick a random letter and see if you like what it has to offer, or go A to Z. You choose.
1. Amnesia

**Author's Notes:**

**I wanted to take up a writing challenge, and the A-Z challenge seemed like it would be good for practice. Each story will have its own genre, characters, and plot. I will post those in the notes for each chapter so it gives a quick idea of what the story will be.**

_Genre: Tragedy and Suspense_

_Characters: Shadow, Jet, Storm, and Wave_

_Plot: Shadow wakes up with no memory. Can he find someone that knows who he is?_

* * *

I awoke from my slumber with a pounding migraine. The head pain made my vision blur and ears ring. I tried to process my surroundings, but the darkness of the room was too great. I would have to identify the room without my sight. The sound of metal clacking was in a rhythm. The sound of chains jingling and heavy machinery was present. I could smell smoke and oil in the air. I figured the smoke was one reason why it was so dark in this room. I felt as if my body was lying on a grated platform above the floor. The wind blew through the holes which sent chills up my spine. For a place with fire and mechanics, it was oddly cold.

I got enough strength to stand. I looked over the railing and saw giant machines rotating in ice covered land. How had I gotten here? I tried to think of my previous location, but nothing came to mind. I knew not my location, nor my name. My identity was a mystery to me. How could I have forgotten who I was? I would not find those answers by standing still here in an ice factory.

I jumped down from my platform to the ice. The ice covered what seemed to be a race track. Was I perhaps in a race? I had no vehicle or bicycle. I began to follow the bright neon arrows that showed how to follow along the track. My speed increased with each step and my shoes started to hover over the icy ground. I swayed my arms like an ice-skater to pick up more speed with my shoes. They seemed to be releasing air in order to propose me forward.

The shoes had a black, white, and red design with golden loops. The design choice must have been custom made because it matched not only my gloves, but my fur. The red streaks in my quills, arms, and legs were complementary to my shoes. Were these markings meaningful in some way? I would need to find someone who knew me if I wanted solutions to my questions.

The track had twists and turns throughout it. I found myself dangerously close to falling off a few times. Luckily, I was able to maintain my balance and avoided what could be my second traumatizing fall. The ending of the race track was within my vision. I thought I broke the sound barrier when I sped up to reach the end. I turned my feet to bring myself to a grinding halt. I waited a moment and heard voices of others in the distance. They could help me, I thought.

I jumped up to the source of the sound. A few machines and platforms made a perfect path for me to follow the sound. I reached the top of the frozen factory and saw a room with shadows beaming from within it on the windows. I jogged to the door of the room and turned the knob. I knew knocking is the appropriate way to enter, but this was a serious emergency. If I was going to find out who I was, I need to be hasty.

There were three birds in the room. One was a purple swallow. She appeared to be fixing a hover board of some sort. Another was a tall, grey albatross. He stood with his chest puffed out and fists clenched. The last was a green hawk. He was leaning back in his chair with a smirk on his face. A fire was in the middle of the room that radiated heat to the team. The all had strange marking on their body. The tattoos almost seemed tribal to me; however, no modern tribe had such markings.

They must not have heard me come into their room for they made no reaction to my entrance.

"Hello? Can you help me?" I called out to them.

The green one let his chair fall into its starting position with a thud.

"Help you? You look like some kind of thief to me! Storm, grab him!"

The large grey one who I now knew as Storm wrapped his thick hands around my shoulders.

"You got it, boss," he said happily.

"What is your matter here, hedgehog?" the purple mechanic interrogated me.

"I don't know my identity. I am looking for someone who might have answers as to who I am," I replied to her. I did not want to anger these people, especially with their body guard holding me tightly.

"Sounds like you are either forgetful, or have a case of amnesia," the mechanic looked back down to her work.

"You can let him go now," the boss told his brawn.

Storm released me and I brushed off my fur from where his hands were. I rolled my shoulders to get more comfortable after that tight squeeze.

"My name is Jet, this is Wave, and you already know Storm," he pointed to each member as he said their name and they gave silent nods to me.

"We aren't any doctors, so we can't really help you with your problem," said Jet.

"Do you know anyone who can help me, or anyone who might know me?" I pleaded to these birds. I needed my identity back. What if I was someone of grave importance? What if I had a goal or mission to do here?

"You won't find anyone here that can," Jet told me. "You should try going to another zone."

"How about he goes Metal City? Someone there might know him," Wave suggested to her boss.

"Yeah, that place is bustling with people! Chances are someone has to know you there," Jet walked over to a chest in the room. He pulled out a rolled paper and placed it on the table.

"This map should help you find your way," he said. "Don't worry about us: we have more than just that one."

"Thank you," I said as I reached for the map. These birds may not have been able to tell me who I am, but they have given me some insight as to where someone might know me. I grabbed the sheet and left through the door thanking them once more. After the door shut, I examined the map. Metal City was not too far away from my current location. I jumped back down to the track and headed off into the East for Metal City.

Hopefully, someone there could help me find my identity.


	2. Buried

**Authors Notes:**

_Genre: Hurt/Comfort and Suspense  
_

_Characters: Amy, Sonic, and Tails  
_

_Plot: Amy invited Sonic over for a nice dinner date at her apartment. Everything is going fine until she is kidnapped! Will Sonic be able to save her?  
_

* * *

Amy Rose was merrily skipping down the sidewalk in Central City. She had her groceries in her hands: milk, eggs, bread, and some chilidogs for some blue buddy of hers. The bags almost went over her pink bangs, but they did not completely cover her vision. Every now and again, she would bump into someone who was not in her sights. A joyous 'sorry' and a light giggle would come out of her mouth as her apology.

She wondered if Sonic would be surprised with her buying of chilidogs. She knew how much he cherished those dogs, even if they were unhealthy. He would say she was a liar, but Amy once saw Sonic pick up a half-eaten chilidog out of the park trash and eat it! She would have puked if it was anyone else, but because it was her cherished Sonic, she only imagined what it would be like if that half-eaten, rotten, sloppy, bug ridden chilidog was her lips.

She blushed at the thought of finally kissing Sonic. Sonic had said before he wasn't interested, but she kept her hopes high. "One day he will realize what a catch I am," she thought aloud. She heard a blast of thunder which made her stop in her tracks. She remembered the new calling for rain today, but it was pretty low chance. Small chance is still a chance, and the rain drops began to fall. A heavy drop hit her bags with an audible crash.

"Looks like I need to get a move on!" she said to herself. She started to pick up her pace to a light jog. The rain followed her queue and picked up its pace too. Her feet hit the now wet pavement with splashes of water treading her souls. The rain had turned into a thunderstorm quickly. She had reached her apartment in some time that was only a few blocks from her initial spot. She unlocked the ground floor door and headed toward the elevator. She swung her hips to hit the button because her hands were still occupied with her shopping bags. The bell dinged and the doors slid open for the lone passenger. Amy stepped inside and was phenomenally able to hit the button for her floor with her pink tail. The doors slid shut and the pulley system pulled the lift upward.

Amy hummed along to the elevator music. Her foot tapped along to the beat of the calming music. She was so excited that Sonic would be coming over for dinner tonight. She had asked him before, but he was always busy. Luckily, he had no appointments tonight, so he couldn't miss this date! The elevator reached her floor and let out a ding as the doors opened. She stepped out through the doors and walked to her apartment: 12F.

She set down her bags and reached in her dress' pockets for the key. Jingles and metallic clanging sounded from her small pocket. Her fingers positioned the correct key to be used and trusted it into the dead-bolt lock. The key twisted thus removing the thick lock on the door. She lifted her bags from the ground and bumped the door wide open. She sat her bags onto the kitchen counter. She removed the contents of the bags onto her dining table to be put into their proper spots. She picked up the eggs and opened her refrigerator door.

While Amy was shifting some food around in the refrigerator, a dark figure had stepped through her still opened door. The figure quietly closed the door with a silent click being the only noise coming from it. Amy was still holding her eggs, trying to make room inside the refrigerator, when the figure had approached her from behind.

Amy had let out a scream when she felt gloved hands grab her from behind. The hands moved to cover her mouth with a wet cloth. Her eggs flew out of her hands onto the wall and floor of the kitchen. She kicked and stomped her red boots which was an attempt to knock the figure off of her. The figure fell backward onto the table causing it to flip over; however, the figure hung tenaciously to the pink hedgehog.

Amy felt her body begin to weaken. The cloth surrounding her mouth and noise must have had a solution on it to cause drowsiness. Her eyes slowly closed and reopened, closed and reopened, each time getting closer to closed. Her hands slipped off from her attackers arm and she fell into a deep sleep. The figure lifted the hedgehog and left through the door, closing it as they left from the apartment room.

In the late evening, Sonic had arrived at Amy's apartment for their dinner. He didn't really want to call it a date, since it wasn't a date. He knocked on the door with his closed fist. "Amy! I'm here!" he called, trying to get her attention. There was no response to his arrival. He knocked on the door again with more force and repetition.

"Amy! Are we having this dinner or not?" he stopped beating on the door to receive an answer. He knew she had been home from the store by this time. He began to worry. He decided to just open the door. He and Amy were close enough for him just to walk inside anyway.

The door creaked open after Sonic twisted the knob. "Amy?" he called into the apartment. There was no response. He slowly crept into the room. There were still lights on in the kitchen. He walked over to the kitchen area and froze at what he saw. The refrigerator's door was wide open, the dining table was flipped over with a broken leg, and lastly he saw a dozen eggs smacked against the painted wall and tiled floor.

Amy was never one to make a mess like that or one to flip over a table. Sonic put some of the pieces together and had a possible answer. Had she been kidnapped? His phone rang and vibrated in his pocket. He jumped at the sudden noise and sensation. His hand reached into his pants' pocket and he pulled out the device. The caller ID read "Amy Rose." Sonic answered the phone.

"Amy? What happened to your apartment?"

"Sonic…Need…Help…Please…Dark…Ground…Someone…" Amy's call was breaking up with static between her words as she spoke.

"Amy? I don't know what you said. Hello? Hello?!" the phone connection cut off from her end.

Sonic pulled his phone from his ear and dialed a number.

"Tails, it is Sonic. I need some good tech support," Sonic said walking out of the apartment.

"What is the issue?" Tails asked him.

"Amy called me for help, but the phone cut off her words. Can you trace her call?"

"Well I am not sure, but I will see what I can do. Head over to my place and we can talk more there," Tails replied.

"I'm on my way now," Sonic stopped the call and put his phone back into his pocket. He ran to the elevator and waited for the lift to come. Hurriedly he stepped inside and waited again for it to reach the bottom floor. The doors opened and he ran outside of the building, putting his hood from his blue jacket on in the process.

The rain continued to pour down on Central City. Lightening was spotted a few blocks down from where Sonic was running. Loud booms of thunder shook the environment. Sonic kept on running through all the rain and passersby of Central City. In a few minutes he had made it to Tails workshop downtown. He rang the doorbell in order to gain entry.

Tails opened the door and let his blue coated friend inside the shop. "I traced the call like you asked me to," Tails told him.

"Where is her location?" Sonic asked with a serious tone.

"The coordinates did not pick out any point in the city, but rather a location on the beach."

"I'll head that way now," Sonic examined the map on Tails' display. He ran out the door without another word.

"Wait Sonic!" Tails cried out to him, but he was too far gone.

Sonic ran back down the sidewalk of the city. He knew this city pretty well considering he saved it with some help from his friends. The beach was a trip to get to, and being on foot made it longer. Good thing for Sonic, speed was his biggest asset. He threw himself further in his speed and was running post-haste to the beach location. He would save Amy. He was ready for anything that was going to happen.

He reached the beach front in no time. Due to the rain, no other people were visiting the beach that day. Sonic turned his head from one side of the beach to the other, but there was no sign of Amy. "Where is she?" he thought to himself. His phone began to ring again, but this time he was not shocked.

"Hello?" he said coldly into the microphone.

"Sonic I was trying to tell you something important as you ran out of the shop," Tails was speaking quickly into the phone.

"Well what is it? I can't find Amy on the beach anywhere."

"That's because she is underground," Tails bluntly stated.

"What do you mean underground?"

"The phone's signal and radio waves were obstructed by some barrier. I ran a few tests and found that the barrier was a wooden case and loads of sand."

"Wait I see a bulge out near the water bank," Sonic said squinting onto the beach.

"There should be a shovel next to the life guard's chair," Tails suggested.

Sonic ended the call and ran over to get the shovel. The oblong shovel and his strength was all he would need for this mission. He ran to the spot where the sand was freshly dug. He strongly trusted the tip of the shovel into the wet sand to remove it from the underground case. With enough shovelfuls out of the way, he saw the wood case that Tails predicted. He tossed away the shovel and started to remove the sand with his bare hands. The coarse sand left small cuts on his hands, but he was not concerned about the pain, only Amy.

Enough sand was removed for him to see the handle on the case. He tugged at the handle with all his might. The door started to budge with a few more strong tugs onto the handle. Amy pushed open the case with as much strength as she could. Her body was weak from the chemical stained cloth and the low oxygen levels under the sand. Sonic pulled her out from the case and laid her onto the beach. They were exhausted from the work load.

"Amy, I am so glad I found you," Sonic spoke to her.

"Thank you so much for saving me, my true hero," she said back to him.

"What kind of person would I be if I didn't save my friends?"

"A very bad one, if I had to guess," they both laughed. Even after this horrendous situation, they could still laugh it off.

"Why don't we find the culprit tomorrow?" Amy said to Sonic. "I want us to have our dinner tonight still."

"Sounds good to me" Sonic rose from his respite and lent a hand to Amy to help her stand up. She had regained some strength and was able to walk on her own.

"How does chilidogs for dinner sound, blue boy?" Amy poked at Sonic's stomach.

"Sounds de-lic-ious!" Sonic cheered and the walked back to Amy's apartment to enjoy there night together.


	3. Casework

**Authors Notes:**

_Genre: Humor and Mystery  
_

_Characters: Vector, Espio, Charmy, Sonic, and Amy  
_

_Plot: The Chaotix Detective Agency is hired to watch Sonic as he visits downtown, but what they find shocks them even more than they thought.  
_

* * *

"No problem! The Chaotix Detective Agency should have no problem with your case!" Vector slammed down the corded phone he was using to hang up.

"Charmy! Espio! We have ourselves a new case!" the green crocodile shouted into the small building where they all three resided. Charmy flew into the office through the window, buzzing and humming a catchy tune he remembered. Espio opened the door to the locker he was using for meditation. The darkness and cold metal made it easier for him to meditate.

"What's our new case, Vector?" the ever curious honey bee asked his boss.

"Oh it's a good one, and the pay is huge!" Vectors arms spread out to show the giant payload the job was offering. His eyes would have turned into dollar signs if the invisible money was tangible.

"So what is it then?" Espio grew impatient. He was upset from being interrupted from his meditation time.

"We have a steak-out!" Vector revealed to his co-workers.

"Steak-out? Does that mean I can order a T-Bone?" Charmy buzzed close to Vector with big, begging eyes.

"No, Charmy," Vector explained, "it means we get to sit in the car and watch someone doing shady activities."

"Sounds like a great job for a master ninja like me," Espio boasted.

"Yeah, yeah," Charmy brushed it off. "Can we still get steak though?"

"With the amount we are getting for this job, we can have steak every night for a year!" Vector cheered and jumped on his desk in excitement. Charmy cheered with him and spun around his dancing body.

"Well what is the where and when for this case?" Espio wanted to get his facts straight if he was going to be on this case.

"Always concerned about the job," Vector whined. "It is in downtown. We were instructed to watch over and take photos of a blue hedgehog called Sonic while he is in the area."

"Sounds pretty simple," decided Espio. "How about the time he should be downtown?"

"The client said around six o'clock tonight," recalled Vector. "I think we should leave early and pick up some grub. This is a steak-out after all."

"Sounds good to me: Charmy Bee!" the insect rhymed, spinning around the room while repeating his new phrase. Espio and Vector both looked at each other. They mentally took note to bring duct tape if Charmy got to verbal during their outing.

Sometime later, the amateur professional detectives parked on the side of the street, on the watch for that blue hedgehog.

"So if they call it fast-food, how come it took 20 minutes to get our food, huh?" Vector was complaining about the slow serviced fast-food joint they where they bought their food. "They didn't even get my order right: I said I didn't want onions!"

"That sure is a shame Vector," Espio dryly said sipping from his lemonade and taking bites from his salad.

"No need to cry over some silly onions, Vector!" Charmy laughed at his clever joke. Espio couldn't help but laugh along with him.

"Laugh it up, chumps. Remember who pays your salaries," Vector warned them with a shaking finger.

"Yes sir!" Charmy straightened out his back and saluted his boss. Espio let out a smirk on the side of his lips at Charmy's wisecrack.

"Why I outta," Vector mumbled while shaking his fist.

"Wait! Is that a blue hedgehog I see?" Charmy pointed to the side window. A blue hedgehog with peach colored arms and stomach had walked by the car.

"Well if it isn't Mr. Sonic," Vector pulled out the camera and handed it to Espio. "Try and get some shots if he starts acting shady."

Vector turned the key to get the engine going on the car. The car hummed with power and he eased out of the parallel park. The car crept up on the blue hedgehog, waiting for him to make a move. The hedgehog was about to head into a movie theater after he bought a ticket for one.

"It looks like he is just watching a movie tonight," Charmy said.

"Espio, I want you to zoom in on that ticket he bought and snap a shot," ordered Vector. Espio focused the camera on the hedgehog's hand as he was standing still for a moment. The camera autofocused and he captured the picture on film. The image appeared on the digital screen on the camera.

"Well? What movie is he seeing?" Charmy called out, trying to see the camera's screen.

"I can't believe I'm reading this, but he is going to see '50 Shades of Slate,'" Espio surprisingly read to the group.

"Zounds! That movie is a total chick flick!" Vector exclaimed. "Boys, it looks like we have a sizzler."

"What a sizzler!" Charmy cried out.

The blue hedgehog, with a newly revealed feminine side, walked into the movie theater. The Chaotix Team decided to wait until he had come out to see if he did any more activity. After an hour had passed, and after the team had almost fallen asleep from boredom, Sonic had left the theater and was on the move to his next location.

The team jumped to life and started up the car. They pulled out just as before and followed that suspicious hedgehog. He seemed to be doing a little bit of window shopping when he stopped and walked into a make-up store.

"I can't see what he is doing in there because of all the posters being sold around the windows," Espio told his boss.

Vector cranked the gears in his head for a moment. Those rotating gears finally turned on a light when he said, "Go in the store and buy a poster so we can see him clearly!"

Espio quietly opened the door and rolled out on to the sidewalk. He slid his back against the store's wall, trying to be silent, sneaky, and unseen from the blue one. He was on his tip-toes about to enter the store when he realized the blue hedgehog didn't know he was being tracked, so why did he have to be secretive? Espio went back to his normal gate and pace walking into the store.

The hedgehog was near the counter looking at lipstick shades. Espio quickly fond a store associate and asked to buy one of the posters in the window. The salesman pulled down the one Espio selected and headed to the checkout.

"A poster, huh?" the salesman said.

"Yes this is all I will be buying today," Espio said clearly.

"I used to have some signed posters by a great band back when I was in uptown," he told to Espio.

"Oh what happened to them," Espio was not one to make light conversation, but he did not want to be rude.

"I had to throw them away after the divorce," the salesman said coldly.

He bagged Espio's poster and gave him the goods.

"Don't ever get married," he whispered as the bag was being held by the two of them.

Espio needed to get out of there before Sonic got curious to his purchase. He took the bag and left the store to the car.

"Great job Espio! Now we can get that picture," Vector patted his friend on the back.

"Yes but at what cost?" Espio looked down to the flooring with his hands shaking.

"Uh, are you okay Espio?" Charmy asked his purple pal.

"I can never go there again," were his only words.

Vector pulled out the camera and took a shot of Sonic buying some shades of lipstick with matching eye shadow.

"What is this hedgehog up to?" wondered Vector.

"I know right?" Charmy agreed. "Those shades are so not his color."

Vector and Espio could only put their hands to their faces and shake in them. They heard the store's doorbell ring and Sonic was off to his next stop. Vector drove the car out of its parking space and slowly followed that peculiar hedgehog. He walked a few more blocks and stopped to go into a dress parlor.

"Dresses? What is up with this guy?" Vector cried with his hands raised.

Espio took the last picture of Sonic buying a red dress from the shop. He flicked thorough all the sizzlers that they had taken and Vector came up with his ace detective hypothesis.

"I hate to say it boys, but I think Mr. Sonic T. Hedgehog is a drag queen," Vector suggested.

"What's that mean?" asked the always asking Charmy Bee.

"It is a man who dresses to the likeness of a woman and tends to perform on stage," Espio explained to his young co-worker.

"Enough talk. Let's get these photos over to the client. She said we could meet her at the coffee shop a few blocks down when we had the pictures ready," commanded Vector. The car quickly burned off the road to the coffee shop where the client was said to be. The three of them parked the car, opened up the doors, and walked to the coffee shop. A woman was wearing a red headband with matching dress waved them over to her.

"Hi! I'm Amy Rose. Thanks for taking my case. So did you get any good information for me?" she sweetly asked the detectives.

"We sure did ma'am," Vector gave her the camera. "Have a look at these shots we got this evening. The pink hedgehog looked over the three photos they had taken for her. She gasped at each one of them, a greater, more powerful gasp after each.

"I know this is very shocking ma'am. I'm sorry to say that Sonic is-"

"The best boyfriend in the world!" Amy interrupted Vector's conclusion midway. The three detectives looked puzzled at her positive reaction.

"My birthday is coming up," she told them, "and he got me everything I wanted! He even watched through that girly movie so he could see if I would like it or not! Isn't he the sweetest?" Amy sighed at her infatuation.

The pieces were finally put together and Team Chaotix realized what he was doing.

"You wanted us to take pictures of him buying you your birthday gifts?" Espio asked the pink hedgehog.

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure he got the right things!" Amy happily said. "You've been a big help. Here is your check like I promised." Amy pulled a written check out of her purse and handed it to Vector. He kissed the check sweetly and embraced it in his arms.

"Oh sweet, precious money! How I love you so!" he said to a piece of stationary.

"Looks like this case is solved!" Charmy said. "I just can't wait until the next one!"


	4. Debt

**Author's Notes:**

_Genre: Crime and Suspense_

_Characters: Silver, Blaze, Bean, Nic, and Bark_

_Plot: Trouble happens at the casino when Silver is chased by bounty hunters._

Casinopolis was full of life on one hot August night. Slot machines were ringing, dice were rolling, and roulette wheels were spinning while waitresses wearing neon outfits served the casino's many patrons. In the lines of slot machines, an ivory hedgehog was running three machines at once. Using his telekinesis powers, he would slide quarters in each one and pull the lever.

The reels rolled in synch and clicked when a reel stopped. Cherry, cherry, ring; and ring, BAR, BAR were on the first two machines. The third machine, however, had new images that Silver had not seen previously. He walked over the third machines to look closer at the reels. Red icons of Eggman were on all three reels.

"Oh wow! What does three Eggman win?" Silver ducked down to the dispenser to see what he had won. To his surprise, no rings or jewels were in the container, but rather a slip of paper. Silver took the paper and read it to himself:

"Congratulations! You have gotten three Eggman! Some Casinopolis workers will be visiting you shortly to collect your money."

"Collect _my_ money? That must be a type-o," Silver said hitting the paper the back of his hand.

"It's no type-o, amigo," said a voice from behind him. Silver turned around to find the source of the sound and saw a purple and white weasel looking at him with a smirk. A yellow polar bear stood next to him silently.

"Ha-ha! Yeah! You have to pay us!" a green duck jumped around Silver.

"Bean! Get over here!" the weasel called. The duck hopped over to his apparent leader.

"Tell you what," the weasel began, "if you give us all your money now, I won't have to use force." The weasel clutched his gun on his waist. Silver stuttered out of fear. He was unable to process what was happening. Sweat drops dripped down his face onto the floor. In a sudden response, he sprinted out of the slot machine lines and through the dining hall.

The gunman sighed deeply, "Well boys, it looks like we are doing this the hard way." The green duck started the chase after Silver with the weasel following and the polar bear slowly behind them both.

Silver was frantically running through the casino. He bumped people and pushed himself through the crowds. He needed to find his friend and tell her what had happened. He stopped for a moment and glanced around the casino. He saw the purple hair of his friend at the blackjack table. Silver jogged over to the table and tugged on her shirt.

"Blaze! I have a huge problem!" Silver loudly whispered to her.

"Did you run out of quarters for the slots? I told you to use them sparingly," Blaze said to him over her shoulder.

"No, it isn't that!" he spun her seat around to face him. "I got these weird images on the reels and now this gang is trying to rob me!"

Blaze chuckled at her naïve friend. "Oh that's very funny, Silver," Blaze laughed some more. "You almost had me for a second there."

"Blaze, I'm being serious!" he whined like a child.

"Okay, look: I know you are just kidding around. You can stop now," Blaze said. Silver looked behind him and saw that the gang had found his location. He screamed loudly and ran away from the card table, leaving Blaze who was still laughing. Silver ran to the elevator at the far side of the casino. The gang was quickly approaching the doors. Silver pressed the button for the basement level and was mashing the door close button. The doors slowly started to close as the gang was running to it. The weasel reached his arm forward to stop the doors, but he stopped short of the doors.

"Blast! Which floor is he going to, Bark?" the gunman shouted.

"Nic: it looks like he is going to the basement," the polar bear said looking at the lit numbers above the elevator. Nic unhooked his gun from his belt and held it tightly. He ran to the stairs and kicked the door open. Nic, Bean, and Bark trotted down the flights of stairs, trying to get to the basement before the elevator.

Silver paced back and forth on the red carpet of the elevator. He rubbed his hands nervously while trying to make a plan for how to get out of his sticky situation. The elevator was moderately descending to the basement: only a few more floors until he would arrive. The elevator stopped and he heard the voice of the gunman.

"You don't have anywhere to go, mate. I suggest you come out quietly," the gunman warned. He had the gun aimed at the doors of the elevator. Silver desperately looked around the elevator for a weapon or escape. His head darted back and forth and then he finally looked upward. There was an escape hatch on the roof of the lift. He used his telekinesis to open the hatch and floated through it.

The elevator doors slid open and Nic was prepared to shoot. To his surprise, no one was inside the lift. He lowered his gun and looked at Bark and Bean. The two goons shrugged at their leader. Nic wielded his gun and walked into the elevator. The lift was empty, but he saw two feet scurrying out the top. He used his spring-like tail to bounce up and latched onto the opening. Silver yelped when he saw the weasel's hands and quickly slammed the hatch door shut.

"Ah!" Nic shouted and fell toward to the ground, hitting his back, and getting the wind knocked out of him. Bark and Bean ran to him and stood over him confused.

"Don't just stand there, you twits! Follow him!" Bark and Bean jolted out of their blank stares at attention. Bark lifted Bean up through the hatch, and Bean pulled Bark through it once he was secured on the top. Silver had made it to another floor and pried open the doors to gain entry. Bark and Bean climbed up the elevator shaft to catch him.

Silver finished manually opening the doors and stepped into the hotel section of the casino. He ran down the nearest hallway to the left to get on with his getaway. Bark and Bean reached Silver's location and saw two halls diverged in yellow wood paneling. Bark pointed for Bean to take the left path and he would take the right.

Silver hit a dead end of a hallway. The hall only had a potted plant and a portrait painting at the end. Silver turned around to try a different path, but he saw the green duck was quickly approaching him.

"Looks like we are going to have blast!" the duck laughed while lighting one of his bombs. Sweat dropped down Silver's face. He was backed into the corner; he had nowhere to escape. Bean threw the lit bomb to Silver who caught it in his hands Silver's reflexes made him throw it back to Bean who caught it.

"Oh, are we playing hot potato?" the green duck asked in a jovial tone. He tossed the bomb back to Silver and Silver returned it right back. The game went on for a few more tosses and catches until Silver got an idea. He caught the bomb and held it patiently. The fuse flickered as it burned down into the bomb's casing. Silver threw the bomb like a bullet at Bean and used the wall painting for a shield. The bomb exploded in Bean's hands. The green duck's feathers were now coated in black and he coughed into his hand from the smoke.

Silver peaked out from behind the painting and saw that Bean was starting to recover from the harsh blow. Silver lifted the painting high up and slammed it down onto Bean's head. The duck lost his balance and fell to the floor, trapped under the artwork. Silver stepped around him and ran down the hall to try the hall on the right. He took large steps and panted heavily as he picked up his speed in down the hall. He took a sharp turn and crashed into someone. He looked up and saw it was the yellow polar bear that was with the gunman and bomber. Bark turned around to see who had hit him and saw the hedgehog lying on the ground. Silver crawled backward on the floor to further himself from the hit man. He was able to get on his feet and ran into an open door to one the rooms nearby. Bark followed him into the room and saw the hedgehog opening the window. He grappled the hedgehog and pulled him away from the window. The two of them spun around in circles in the room. Silver was unable to overpower the brawn of the polar bear, but he could trick him. Silver swayed the circle in to reverse and spun it towards the window. He timed his steps carefully and when the polar bear was in front of the window, Silver fell forward and the yellow beast fell out the of the window. Silver clutched onto the railing so he would not fall to as he watched the bear fall into the casino's pool.

Silver huffed out his breaths and closed the window. He stumbled through the room, left through the door, and walked down the hall to the elevator. He held in the button for the lift and a bell rang opening the doors. Blaze was inside the lift and she gasped when she saw her friend.

"Silver! I've been looking for you! We have to go to the carnival with Sonic and Amy in ten minutes," Blaze took Silver's hand and dragged him into the elevator. She pressed a button for the ground floor and the two of them waited for the elevator to reach their floor to go on their double-date.


End file.
